Well, it’s the whole world. Usually radiating pain implies the pain going into a leg or an arm. People are prone to believe that the cause of this condition lies in the spine, which is true for the most part. But the problem is that the real source of nerve irritation may be located relatively far from the spine. In Europe we call this category of conditions “tunnel syndromes”, which reflect the nature of the problem. The real challenge for a doctor is to find the source of pain along the way of the nerve.
Radiating pain from the lower back can be very tricky. Usually people have the so-called sciatica in mind. Unfortunately this condition is often misdiagnosed when it is mixed up with, lets say the pain in the leg associated with a muscle strain or just simply heavy labor or recreational activity.
There is one kind of radiating pain that requires special attention. That is the pain in the groin or the front of the thigh. Here we have a situation that is exactly opposite of the common belief, that the source of the pain is anything but the spine. People go to see urologists, gynecologists, etc., which is the right decision, because urological and/or gynecological problems do manifest themselves through these symptoms. However, oftentimes thorough exams, lab work, tests do not reveal any problems but people remain in a pain. The answer to it lies in a sacro-iliac joint [pelvis]. This is one of the trickiest parts of the body. This joint may imitate anything from urinary dysfunction to simply inguinal hernia.
The format of the web site does not allow me to go into further details. The only conclusion that can be made is that the world of radiating pain is very complicated, and each case is pretty much unique.
